Machine fob



Tn srarns VfrAirmir'r onrion HENRY L. RANDALL, OF ROXBURY, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR FELTING HAT-BODIES.

Specification forming part of Letters :Patent No. 17,115, dated April21, 1857; .Reissued April 15,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. RANDALL, of Roxbury, county of Litchfield,and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful MachineforFelting or Sizing HatkBodies, of which the following is a full,

Atached showing the driving mechanism.

Figs. l and 5 are plans of the adjustable stationary stocks detached.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved machinefor felting hat bodies, I will proceed todescribe the same in detail.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A, in the annexed drawings represents a suitable frame to whichthe'several parts of the mechanism are secured. To the upper rail (B) ofthis frame, is arranged a rockshaft (D) from which shaft extend arms (EE and F); near the outer ends of the arms (E) are pivoted rods (P)extending downward, to the lower ends of which rods the felting boardissecured in any convenient manner-the lower end of the arm (F) isattached to a connecting rod through which a vibrating or swingingmotion by means of an adjustable crank is given, as shown in Figs. l and2 and 3.

By suspending the felting board (M) from the arms (P) and giving anoscillating motion to the shaft (D) through the arm (F) the feltingboard secured thereto has an up and down or vertical motion, and byconnecting the felting board to an adjustable crank (u), combinedmotions of up and down and back and forth are produced. The vertical orup and down motion, alternately brings the felting board into contact,and relieves it from the material being felted or sized, and the backand forth motion is to give the work.`

The crank (r) by which the felting board is raised and lowered, shouldlead the crank (u), as seen in Fig. 3, so that when said crank (u) is atits extreme backward stroke, the crank (r) will have passed `its deadpoint and so far advanced as to have raised the felting board olf theroll that it may pass over, in .its forward motion, without coming incontact, andV to lower the felting board, in its last half stroke, intocontact with the roll (n) (to give work to the material incased therein)that said roll may always turn in the same direction, and continue tobecome more tightly rolled within its wrapper. By these combined motionsit will be perceived that the material being felted receives a short,quick automatic manipulation which in practice is found to be the mostequable way of sizing hat bodies. These adjustable cranks are for thepurpose of adjusting the Vstroke of the felting board-when coarsematerial is to be sized or felted, a longer stroke and greater pressureis required, and as the quality and kinds of hats are constantlychanging, varying from `the coarsest to the finest materials, it isfound necessary that the stroke of the felting board be varied to suitthese different qualities and kinds. Al long csf stroke is required forthe coarsest, varying to the shortest for the nest material.v

O, Gr, represent adjustable, stationary stocks, into which material tobe felted or sized is placed; these stocks are raised and lowered bymeans of racks (o) and pinions (w) and hand wheels (m) to correspondwith the varying sizes of the rolls, and are retained in any desiredposition by ratchet wheels and pawls (c).

The annexed drawings represent two arrangements of the beds of thestocks. The bed (R) consists of three rollers (but more may be used ifdesired) which are supported in suitable bearings in the adjustableframe (0), this stock is intended more particularly for fine fabrics, asthere is less friction `and resistance in working the material overthese rollers, which turn with, or in the same direction of the roll,than in the stock (G) about toa be described.

The stock (G) consists of two stationary concaves (I), and one or morerollers (f) placed between them; this form of stock is used chiefly insizing coarse materials, bei cause more resistance is offered by thestationary concaves and one or more rollers, than by a number ofrollers, which is desirable in coarse hats in order to give solidity andequality to the work, and to size the body as rapidly as the materialwill permit.

A rotating motion is given to the rollers (R) in the stock (O) by a beltfrom pulley (p) on the main driving shaft-and motionto the roller (f) inthe stock (G) is also given by corresponding pulleys and belt. Theobject of giving motion to these rollers which compose or in partcompose the beds of the adjustable stocks, is to assist the feltngboards in turning the roll of hat bodies or other material so that itshall not become attened and remain in one position.

1 Having thus fully described my improved machine for felting or sizinghat bodies, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent is- 1. The rising and falling and forward and back motions of thefelting board by a systern of levers arranged as described or theirequivalent.

2. Rotating the bat or roll of material, being felted, around its ownaxis in the manner substantially described.

3, In combination with the felting board when operated as described, theadjustable stationary stocks or carriages for holding the roll or batsubstantially as set forth.

HENRY L. RANDALL.

Witnesses:

s. w. wm,

R. Y. OsGooD.

[FIRST PRINTED 1912.]

